Call for Submissions: The 2019 Gros Morne Playwrights’ Residency

Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal (PWM) and Le Centre des auteurs dramatiques (CEAD) in partnership with Creative Gros Morne, Cole Foundation, and Memorial University invite playwrights to submit their application for a 12-day dual-lingual residency that will welcome applications from across the country.

The Residency

The Gros Morne Playwrights’ Residency will invite 7 playwrights from across Canada to participate in a 12-day playwriting retreat in Norris Point, Newfoundland. It will be headed by two National New Play Development Centres: Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal (PWM) and le Centre des auteurs dramatiques (CEAD). These two institutions have been developing new plays for over 50 years and organizing residencies for over twenty years. This partnership makes it possible to welcome playwrights in a dual-lingual setting. English language playwrights are asked to apply through PWM and French language playwrights through the CEAD. Three artists will be selected from English language submissions, three from French language submissions. We are reserving the seventh selection for submissions from Newfoundland and Labrador.

A Place to Create

The seven selected playwrights will spend 12 days from April 17-28, 2019 at the Bonne Bay Marine Station, writing, dreaming, sharing and creating exciting new plays for the Canadian and International stage. This residency will create lasting links between theatre artists from across the country and generate discussion around the work being created in Canada. The residency will be hosted by Emma Tibaldo, Artistic Director of PWM and Paul Lefebvre, Dramaturg and Artistic Advisor at le CEAD. The Gros Morne Playwrights’ Residency will include transportation, accommodations, meals, an honorarium and dramaturgical support.

There are few places better equipped to welcome artists for a creative residency than the Bonne Bay Marine Station. It is located in a spectacular setting on Newfoundland’s breath-taking west coast, surrounded by Gros Morne National Park and within the vibrant community of Norris Point. The station is equipped with bedrooms, a kitchen, a small theatre, and places to sit and write. Tailor made for artistic residencies that inspire new work that can very well change the way we see the world.

The last two days of the residency is dedicated to sharing the work of the selected playwrights with invited students and faculty of Grenfell Campus-Memorial University. This will include readings and a symposium on contemporary theatre in Canada.

Residency Program

April 17, 2019:Travel to Norris Point (anyone departing West of Ontario will have to add a day to travel)

April 18 to 25, 2019:– Unstructured writing time at Bonne Bay Marine Station.– Individual sessions with residency dramaturgs as requested by the playwright.– Daily coming together of all participants to exchange on the process of work and the writing, based on the idea of a 5 à 7.

April 26-27, 2019:Readings and symposium with invited students and faculty of Grenfell Campus and the surrounding community of Norris Point

April 28, 2019:Departure for home.

Accessibility

The residence is wheelchair accessible.

However, the library and theatre space at the Bonne Bay Marine Station which is used often by the playwrights requires the participant in a wheelchair to leave the residence, travel across the parking lot, into the main lobby entrance to access the library/theatre space.

The parking lot is cleaned of snow and ice but in case of a snow storm, it will be hazardous due to too much snow and ice coverage. If a snow storm does happen, the residency organizers (PWM and CEAD) will do everything in their power to find a different meeting room that would not require for participants to leave the residence.

Submission Guidelines

– proposal of a play in the early stages of development (first draft or slightly beyond);– be available for the whole residency;– be willing to participate in all activities prepared for the residency.

Submission package must include the following:(Please submit the following as a single PDF file)

– a letter stating your interest in the residency;– presentation of your project (maximum 1 page) with a 10 page excerpt of the play in process;
– a C.V. with a short biography (maximum 2 pages);– a copy of your last play published, workshopped or produced.